Why is Cultural Competency Important?

This is the tale of two seats of twins: One set, Abe and Hamadi were born in Sierra Leone, Northwest Africa. The other set Ryan and Kevin were born in Brighton, England. Abe and Ryan are both the first born of their twin sets. Both sets of twins are just as cute as can be. If both sets of boys were born in America, we’d apply US cultural customs; Abe and Ryan would be considered the older brother or first born in his set. Technically, they would enjoy the rights of inheritance of the first born. Nice right? Ryan pops out four minutes earlier than the much cuter Kevin, and he gets all the loot.

If you made the same assumptions with Abe and Hamadi, you’d be making a terrible mistake based on your lack of cultural awareness. In northwest Africa, all of the rights accorded to the first born in western cultures are accorded to the second born. The second born twin is considered the most important and the smartest. The second born allows the first born to check out the environment and make sure everything is safe for him/her to emerge. Because of this the second born is assumed to be more intelligent and thoughtful. And they certainly don’t have to spend their whole lives listening to their “big” brother demand special treatment—nope, not bitter.

So, an interesting example to make a point. If you don’t know the cultural indicators in the population(s) you serve, you may alienate your clients. You may not approve of cultures where women are subservient, but if you don’t understand the family dynamics and traditions of the culture, or impose western idea of equality, you can make your point but risk that the woman won’t be allowed to receive services. This isn’t about imposing your cultural standards, its about respecting the culture of others and providing services accordingly.

If you work with Asian cultures (I understand this is a huge generalization as the sub-cultural diversity is massive) there are some important cultural markers you have to understand.  Many Asian cultures place a high importance on the collective.  In America, its all about rugged individualism.  In Asian communities, the family and extended family plays a much more significant role, and loyalty to one’s family is expected.  Not losing face can be considered more important than seeking proper care.  Some Asian sub-cultures are very stoic in the face of pain and discomfort.  Doctors and healthcare providers have to know this to provide appropriate care.  Asian communication is highly context driven: voice intonation, facial expression and body language can be more important than what is said.  Americans are low context communicators: we’re direct in a way that can be offensive to some cultures.  To provide great service in these communities you have to know these cultural markers.

Cultural Competency is vitally important; it helps you provide better, more sensitive service, that is respectful of cultural differences.  In turn, you serve your clients much more effectively.  And, at the end of the day, isn’t that what our work is all about?